Resources (AQA A Level Geography)

Revision Note

Classifying Resources

  • Resource security refers to the ability of a country to safeguard a reliable and sustainable flow of resources to maintain the living standards of the population

  • A resource is something to which human society attaches value, due to its usefulness

  • Resources can be classified according to common characteristics:

    • Natural or human

    • Renewable or non-renewable 

    • Recyclable or non-recyclable

    • Biotic or abiotic

  • Stock resources are finite and non-renewable 

    • E.g. coal, oil, gas, gold, copper, uranium

  • Flow resources are renewed within short timescales either through physical systems or biotic reproduction

    • E.g. solar, wind, forests, fish stocks

    • Critical flow resources, such as forests and fish stocks, require careful management to ensure continuous availability

  • Further classification of stock resources can be made

    • Resources are an estimate of the quantity of all deposits of a valued mineral or energy source, including those that are discovered, undiscovered or not viable

    • Reserves are those parts of the ‘resources’ that can be economically, technically and legally extracted

  • A McKelvey box illustrates an international scale for evaluating stock resources 

mckelvey-box
McKelvey box evaluating stock resources

Explanation of McKelvey Classification of Stock Resources

 

Proven
or measured
reserves

Probable
or indicated
reserves

Possible
or inferred
reserves

Possible or hypothetical and conditional reserves

Definition


Quantity and quality of resources estimated with a high level of confidence. Viewed as being economically viable


Quantity and quality of resources estimated with a level of confidence sufficient to allow further evaluation of their economic viability


Quantity and quality of resources estimated based on limited evidence. There may be issues regarding depth, continuity and access


Largely undiscovered and confidence in existence is low. Based on geological knowledge of similar situations where resources have already been discovered

Quantity and quality of resource


Size is known accurately


Size partly measured and measurements used to estimate the extent


Identified but estimated and not measured


They are thought to exist but haven’t been sampled

Degree of mineral sampling confidence


90% or greater


50% or greater


10% or greater


Insignificant

Examiner Tip

Be sure that you are able to contrast the different types of resources as classified here. Practise 4 mark questions by picking two different types of resource (e.g. stock and flow or inferred and measured) and make four statements about how they are different.

Natural Resource Development

Natural resource development over time

  • Over time resources go through several stages of development, from being located to being exhausted

the-lifecycle-of-a-stock-resource
The lifecycle of a stock resource

Examiner Tip

You may be asked to assess how resources develop over time. Change over time is a key concept in A level Geography and so it is important to recognise how resource use is another such process that is dynamic and changing. It also varies across space. For example, in some fast industrialising countries the stages of the lifecycle will be happening more quickly than in countries at the lowest end of the development spectrum.

Resource Frontier

Concept of the resource frontier

  • A resource frontier refers to an area on the periphery of a country or territory which is being opened for resource extraction for the first time

  • Resource frontiers are often:

    • Natural environments with little or no human development

    • Remote with limited infrastructure

    • Harsh environments may pose technological challenges to extracting natural resources

  • The Arctic is an example of a resource frontier:

    • Climate change has opened up new shipping routes to the far north

    • The region has estimated or inferred stock of more than 400 billion barrels of oil

    • Potentially the largest stock of oil outside the Middle East

    • Other resources in the region include fisheries, forestry, mining and tourism

  • But several challenges remain before any of the resources can be exploited and developed

  • These make the Arctic a frontier environment:

    • The region is environmentally sensitive to damage

      • Fragile ecosystems

      • Short growing season

      • Oil spills would be very difficult to clean up due to ice cover

    • A lack of infrastructure - meaning transport, accident management and search and rescue is expensive

    • Frequent storms and extreme cold - make working conditions difficult

    • Icing during winter - puts infrastructure at risk of damage

    • Warming temperatures - could increase the number of icebergs through the calving of glaciers, making shipping lanes perilous

    • GPS communication systems - work less well north of 70° latitude

Examiner Tip

Using examples, such as the Arctic in this section, is a great way of showing your extended knowledge and understanding of places, concepts and processes. This will score you marks for Assessment Objective 1 (AO1). By applying an example accurately to a question, you will also be scoring marks for AO2.

Resource Peak

Concept of resource peak

  • A resource peak refers to the phase of maximum production of a resource before depletion exceeds discoveries

  • The idea developed from the concept of ‘peak oil’ suggested by Shell geophysicist M. K. Hubbard in 1956

  • It has since been applied to other stock energy resources and minerals

  • There are a number of challenges when evaluating the concept of resource peaks:

    • Perspectives on when certain resources ‘peak’ vary as new technologies are developed or new reserves found

    • Prices of resources such as oil can be volatile and so the economic viability  of extraction will vary over time

    • It can also be difficult to predict future levels of demand

  • Some argue that global ‘peak oil’ has already been reached as the rate of new discoveries of oil reserves is falling

  • Others suggest that we are some way away from this

  • New technologies are being used to extract more oil from current reserves and for discovering new sources of oil, for example:

    • Enhanced oil recovery of residual oil from depleted existing oilfields

    • Deepwater drilling of oil further offshore

    • Discovery of ‘unconventional’ oil sources, such as tar sands and shale oils

resource-peaks
Factors that affect when a resource peaks

Examiner Tip

Learn these factors so that you are able to explain why it can be very difficult to calculate or predict when a resource will peak, using oil as an example. This will help you if the exam question asks for an ‘assessment’ of the concept.

Last updated:

You've read 0 of your 10 free revision notes

Unlock more, it's free!

Join the 100,000+ Students that ❤️ Save My Exams

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

Did this page help you?

Robin Martin-Jenkins

Author: Robin Martin-Jenkins

Expertise: Geography Content Creator

Robin has taught Geography at a number of UK secondary schools over the past 13 years, alongside various pastoral roles. He fell in love with Geography whilst at school and has been a passionate advocate of its importance and relevance ever since. He currently works in an independent secondary school where his teaching is combined with mentoring of younger teachers.

Bridgette Barrett

Author: Bridgette Barrett

Expertise: Geography Lead

After graduating with a degree in Geography, Bridgette completed a PGCE over 25 years ago. She later gained an MA Learning, Technology and Education from the University of Nottingham focussing on online learning. At a time when the study of geography has never been more important, Bridgette is passionate about creating content which supports students in achieving their potential in geography and builds their confidence.